Go high up above ground level. Go to a higher floor in your building, hike up a mountain.

Maintain good ventilation: especially when using chemical-based cleaners, glues and paints. Open a window or use an extractor fan.

Close doors and windows if you’re by a busy road (especially at rush hour and if you live on the ground floor).

Use an air purifier and/or put plants indoors.

Sweep carefully and slowly using a covered pan.

Author’s opinion

Advice for Governments on how to achieve cleaner air

Generally speaking in most countries we need more:

pedestrian areas (with no cars or scooters)

bans on petrol scooters

clean vehicles

green transport infrastructure

public transport infrastructure

stop engine idling campaigns

wide sidewalks

wide and protected bike lanes

trees

investment in green renewable energy

The Physical & Mental Health Balance

Taking care is often important for our physical health, but mental health often requires a more carefree outlook. So the art of living well is being careful, caring yet carefree. Having love without attachment. A quote I once read goes, “Take a child by the hand, they will show you the way.” I believe adults are often better at the ‘careful’ and children at the ‘carefree’. Every time you shout to a child, ‘Be careful!’ you can imagine them shouting back at you ‘Be carefree!’ Children often experience negative emotions and then recover swiftly because they’re such complete experts at living in the moment. To stop worrying about the past and future, is one of the great lessons they teach us. Mental slavery is worrying about the past. Discipline is doing the right thing from now on.

By all means use and share the various health tips outlined above, but always remember the value in simply broadening your outlook to see the big picture, the value of letting it be, of not worrying about stuff, and of having faith. Perfectionism is anything but perfect. So don’t sweat the small stuff, just create good habits so that overall you’re going in the right direction.